Rams Head Tavern
September 12, 2004
Annapolis, MD
My wife, Patti, and I first saw PL and band at the Ram’s Head Tavern in beautiful downtown Annapolis, Maryland in September 2002. That show was on the heels of the Down From The Mountain tour, where Patty Loveless shared the stage with such bluegrass standouts as Dr. Ralph Stanley, Emmylou Harris, Ricky Skaggs, Alison Krauss, The Nashville Bluegrass Band, Rodney Crowell, Norman Blake, and others. We had first heard Patty sing at one of the DFTM shows at Bull Run, Virginia in July 2002 – a show that changed our musical lives for the better. Go
here for that odyssey. We had discovered The Voice. The 2002 Ram’s Head show was one of a few full shows that Patty and her band (with one Emory Gordy Jr. on bass) would do that year. We were lucky to see her at the Birchmere in August and again at the intimate Ram’s Head the following week.
When tickets went on sale for the September 12, 2004 Ram’s Head show in March, we dusted off the VISA card and purchased six seats for both shows. No hesitation. There was no doubt that other Patty Heads would relish the opportunity to hear her in this living room-like venue that holds just 220 people. (As a matter of fact, the Ram’s Head had to extend on to their stage to accommodate the eight-piece band). Needless to say, we have been flying high with the count down to the show for the past couple of weeks. When the weekend finally arrived, it was as if we had died and gone to heaven.
On Friday night, we connected with old Patty friends, Jess (of www.pattylovelessmusic.com) and Jackie. Jess’ husband, Mike, could not make it for the shows, so Jess brought along her niece, Toni, to be initiated into the world of The Voice. We dined at Baltimore’s Little Italy and talked up the show. Toni was skeptical about our sanity.
Patti and I arrived at the Ram’s Head on Sunday at 4:00 p.m. for the 5:00 p.m. first show. One of the nice things about this place is that seating is reserved. No need to arrive twelve hours ahead of time and fret about getting up front. This is very civilized for us old folks. The hour ahead of time was just for the opportunity to take it all in. The Ram’s Head is unique. It houses a very good restaurant, several bars, and a brewery on site. There is live music outside of the restaurant and the venue for the show is in an adjoining building. The hour also allowed the chance for a few drinks to calm the pre-show anxiety. I spoke with Shayne, Patty’s hard-working roadie from Renfro Valley, Kentucky before the first show. He was excited about the new instrument he had built for Deanie – a four string mandolin that looks like a ukulele. He said that she would be playing it on Too Many Memories in the acoustic set. This was a tip that the set list would be changed a bit. This magnificent ballad from Long Stretch of Lonesome would make the evening special all by itself. I thought about the great job that Patty, Jedd, and Becky did on this last November at Billy Bob’s in Ft. Worth. This time, Patty sang it solo during the second show with Deanie on Shayne’s “creation” and Guthrie on acoustic guitar. But I am getting ahead of myself.
There were two shows: 5:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. As expected, the first show seemed a bit rushed because of time constraints. It was great to see Pete Finney back behind the pedal steel and the dobro. He was appropriately welcomed by a sign “We Love You, Pete” from some folks who had seen him play with Chely Wright last week. His experience on the instruments and his familiarity with Patty’s material instantly enmeshed him with the band. And like last year at this time, this band is hitting its stride. Garry and Marcia are great players and their vocals are awesome. Guthrie appears more comfortable with his role and the material as the tour has progressed and he is a talented guitarist. Martin and Jimmy are always a solid rhythm section. And Deanie Richardson is simply virtuoso, so obviously loving what she does on stage. While the new members seemed a tad tentative in May, they have come together as a unit. It is a shame that the tour is coming to an end just as they gel. I am hopeful that the group will remain intact for next year’s tour.
The set list was just about the same for both shows, except for the aforementioned Too Many Memories replacing Cheap Whiskey in the second show. The 8 p.m. show rocked. The audience was fired up and a three-song encore ensued. On Your Way Home (great song for an encore), Lovin’ All Night, and Blame It On Your Heart. Patty’s voice was top-notch all night. Although she drank hot tea and sprayed her throat, it appears that her bronchitis is behind her. Two shows in one night on the heels of several others and she sounded wonderful. The set list is now familiar to us
Tear Stained Letter
You Can Feel Bad
Nothin’ But The Wheel
You Don’t Seem To Miss Me – Garry does George more than proud.
Trouble With The Truth
Halfway Down – Guthrie has arrived. Wonderful intro, smiles, a bit of The Beatles’ Day Tripper (nice touch!!). And all of this after Patty did a heartfelt promotion of her previous lead guitar player, Jedd Hughes. Jedd’s cd was the background music in the club before the show started.
Draggin’ My Heart Around
Nothin’ Like The Lonely – a prolonged hum is back. This alone is worth the price of admission.
Grandpa – this is where Jess’ niece, Toni, got hooked. She was tearful after hearing it the first time and crying like a baby during the second show. She has been initiated. In fact, what was great was that you could not hear a pin drop during this spectacular performance. She blew the audience away. I can see where having Grandpa and Harlan in the same show might be emotionally overwhelming for some, although it worked for me at Pigeon Forge in May.
The Boys Are Back In Town
Cheap Whiskey (first show), Too Many Memories (second show)
Daniel Prayed – perfect 3-part harmony from Patty, Garry, and Marcia.
Pretty Little Miss
It was nice to meet Mojo and Todd. Was it worth the ride? Also great to catch up with Teresa. The only melancholy aspect to all this is that it is most likely our last show of the year. Speaking briefly with Patty after the show, she indicated she will tour next year. Great news! Studio time has been moved back to January or February as Emory has had some health set backs. Patty assured me that he was going to be just fine. He needs more time to recuperate.
